Red Dead Assassin
by simpsonman956
Summary: *Spolier Alert* Set a week after AC2, an unexpected development brings to light that Desmond is decended from Jack Marston who, shortly after the events in Red Dead Redemption was recruited into the Assassins like his father before him.PLEASE R&R!
1. Another Day on the Road

Chapter 1:Another Day on the Road

"Desmond! Hey Desmond wake up!" Lucy shouted into Desmond's tent. "It's time to pack up and head out, let's go!". Desmond finally drug himself out of his sleeping bag and threw his blue jeans and white hoodie back on. It wasn't usually that hard for him to get out of bed. But they'd been working a lot of late nights since Shaun started downloading the map to the Pieces of Eden from the Abstergo database. They only had three months to find them _and _the temples of Those Who Came Before before the Sun barbequed the Earth after all. The Bleeding Effect and his ancestor's memories taking hold in his dreams hadn't helped either.

After rolling up his sleeping bag, Desmond stepped outside and helped Lucy take down the tents. They'd been camping out in this rural, snowy part of Montreal for a couple days now and they had to keep moving. They still had a ways to go before they reached the cabin safe house Lucy had ready. After they had everything packed I'd be another day on the road in that crowded 18-wheeler. Lucy driving while Shaun, Rebecca, and Desmond worked in the back with the Animus, tirelessly trying to find something in Desmond's DNA memories that could help them.

Rebecca had just come back with their very modest breakfast of coffee and donuts from the Dunkin' Donuts in the nearby town when they all finally headed back on the road. After breakfast they all sat at their places, ready for work. "So Shaun, how's the map coming?" asked Rebecca."

"Slowly as usual." Shaun replied in his usual dry, British tone. "I've been having to copy this map, practically pixel by pixel to avoid detection. It's been a week since we got driven out of that last safe house and I only have 5% of the North American continent downloaded so far."

Shaun then paused a minute and pushed his glasses up. "Wait a minute," he exclaimed, "If I just work my way around this and input this code here...". A few minutes went by as he typed away at his computer occasionally muttering to himself as he did so until eventually Shaun threw up his hands and yelled "YES!".

"What?" Desmond and Rebecca said in unison.

"Jinx, you owe me a Coke!" she snickered at Desmond. He laughed back at Rebecca's childishness which he found refreshing and Shaun found annoying (something he also liked to see) and then went serious again.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"I was able to find a work-around and downloaded almost all of the Western Hemisphere!" Shaun replied with an enthusiasm seldom seen by any of them.

"How's that possible?" asked an equally glad, though visibly confused Rebecca, "Abstergo's added more safeguards to that thing than the rest of the main hard drive combined."

"Well it turns out that the map was recently edited, and in a hurry. Listen to this footnote: 'PE6 heavily protected. Lost all of Squads Alpha and Beta to booby traps. Send backup soon.' And then a reference to something called the '1915 Blackwater Incident'. The Piece of Eden itself seems to be in an old mine underneath Austin, Texas of all places."

"Guess Lucy wasn't kidding when she told Vidic the Pieces of Eden would be protected.", said Desmond. He always though she just told him that to buy them the time they needed to escape.

"Excellent work, Shaun!", said Lucy from the walkie talkie on Shaun's desk, "This is the best lead we've had in weeks! Rebecca, get Desmond into the Animus. Shaun, cross reference Desmond's ancestry to the Assassins in the Austin area during the 1910s and with this Blackwater Incident."

"Will do boss!", Rebecca said enthusiastically.

"Right away.", confirmed Shaun.


	2. John Marston's File

Chapter 2: John Marston's File

Rebecca plugged Desmond into the Animus 2.0 right away, sending him to

the Animus mainframe. A gloriously white, seemingly infinite space that always reminded

Desmond of the Matrix. After walking around the mainframe for a few minutes, Desmond finally heard Shaun's voice.

"Ahh, this is very interesting." It echoed,

"What is?" Desmond replied. "I inputted the data into the Assassin database and found a perfect match. Desmond, did you know your descended from John Marston?"

"The Old West bounty hunter? No."

"Well according to this he's your great-great uncle on your mother's side. Tell me, what else do you know about him?"

"Other than he was some kind of bounty hunter from Texas, not much.", said Desmond

"Well that figures.", replied Shaun rather snobbishly. "Alright, let me bring up his file..."

"Ok," Shaun started, "John Marston. Orphaned at age eight, he grew up in

with a few other misfits. In 1875 when Marston was around 15, they formed a gang of Robin Hood esque marauders. For about 20 years they traveled all over the West robbing banks, stagecoaches, trains, you know. They usual Old West bad guy stuff." "And this guy was an Assassin?", asked Desmond. "Yeah," Shaun replied. "It says here that around the same time they formed the gang, they were recruited in by some high-ranking member of the Order called Uncle." "Uncle what?", asked Rebecca. "It just says Uncle. Weird I know. Anyway it seems that over the years Marston really made a name for himself among the Brotherhood. Sound rather exciting, eh? Robbing the establishment to give to the poor by day, slaughtering Templars by night."

"What happened to them?", asked Desmond.

"Well it seems the leader of the gang, a bloke called Dutch Vanderllin, as well as most of the gang, more or less lost faith in the Assassins and what we stand for and left us. Except, of course, for Marston and his future wife Abigail. They stayed on at least until a year or two later. In 1894, the gang robbed a river boat. When the robbery went bad, John was shot and left for dead. If it wasn't for Abigail, he probably would've died."

"What the gang did to them made them lose faith in us too. It made them believe that we didn't even know what we were fighting for anymore and just liked killing by that point. So the two of them retired and, with the help of the now retired Uncle, settled down on a farm in the Great Plains. The Marstons then keep out of the history books for a while until about 16 years later in 1911 when the US military comes out of nowhere and shoots poor John dead. That's all it says about John but his son Jack, it seems, has hardly anything at all on his file. At age 19 in 1914 he's sworn in as a US Marshal and then it's like he never existed at all."

"And that Blackwater Incident was in 1915. That can't be a coincidence." said Desmond.

"When is anything ever a coincidence?", Shaun pointed out.

" So you think Jack followed in his father's footsteps?" asked Desmond.

"Only one way to find out!", exclaimed Rebecca.

"This will also be a great opportunity to use the Bleeding Effect to train you in firearms. We won't be going up against Abstergo with swords and bows and arrows after all." said Lucy.

"I was thinking that too.". agreed Desmond.

"I found Jack on your DNA Desmond." said Rebecca. "Saddle up partner, you headed out West!"


	3. Remember My Family

Chapter 3: Redeemed

Suddenly, Desmond was atop a horse and his clothes and face had changed. Rather than a white hoodie, he wore a light blue dress shirt and brown coat with a marshal's badge on it. A bandolier was around his chest and a rifle was on his back, a pistol on his belt. His hair was now much longer and he was wearing a hat that reminded him of the guy in the Crocodile Dundee. The white emptiness had turned itself into a dry, barren, Mexican landscape, the sun slowly setting to his left and a large river to his right.

He'd officially entered his ancestor's body and as he took on Jack's memories he found out that he was riding to meet the man he'd been searching for for years. The man who killed his father. Desmond then noticed an old man at the riverside duck hunting like his buddy said he was. As Jack dismounted his horse, Desmond heard Jack's thoughts as he decided this was the time to just sit back and watch his memories unfold.

"There he is." Marston thought to himself as he steadily walked to the old man. "After all these years my father will finally get justice." he thought again as his teeth clenched with hate. He was about six feet from the man who's name was Ross when Jack finally spoke up.

"Excuse me, you Edgar Ross?", he asked him.

Ross looked over, his shotgun in one arm and replied, unsurely "Do I know you?".

"Pardon me for startling you sir, I have a message for you." He took a step closer. "I'm Jack Marston, you knew my father." Ross laughed as he put down his shotgun , realizing who this boy was.

"I see," the former government agent said as he snickered, "I remember your father.".

"I've come for you Ross!" Jack shouted as he took another step. Ross laughed again, this time a little harder, before replying

"And you, boy, have sure as shit found me!"

"You killed my father!" Marston yelled, his voice burning with hate.

Ross was serious now. He replied, "You father killed himself with the life he led!"

"You killed him, I saw you!", insisted Jack.

"You keep saying that.", replied Ross sarcastically.

"You sent him to do your dirty work. Then you shot him like a dog!" Marston told Ross, almost to his face now.

"And I'll shoot you like one too, you little piece of trash!Now get outta here before I kill you as well!"

"I ain't going nowhere old man!" the young man of 19 assured him.

The two men then took a few steps back, their hands inches away from their guns. Tension broke out over the riverside as the moment Jack had been waiting for and playing over and over in his head for three years had come. He'd been careful to bring his father's old pistol. The one this man had given him. Jack though it fitting that the man who killed his father be hoisted by his own baton. They gazed at each other as their hands now twitched towards their guns. _"If it weren't for those damn ducks", Desmond thought to himself, "this would be a pretty badass setting"._

"DRAW!", yelled Ross. Suddenly, Jack's world went bright orange as time slowed to him. Dead-Eye vision. A trait inherited by the men of the Marston family since his grandfather came to this country from Scotland, according to his late father. _"It's kinda like Eagle Vision", Desmond thought to himself, "If John was an Assassin then that would explain it." _Jack used this gift to pull his gun, take his aim, and empty his clip in the old man's direction before he'd even drawn his gun. Blood splattered everywhere as the bullets hit is body. They propelled his dead body into the river where any evidence would be washed away. No one would be able to connect Jack to the crime.

Jack pondered this fact to himself as he watched the old man's blood spread throughout the water. He then looked at his father's gun and holstered it as he whispered,

"That was for you, Pa.". At long last, with the death of Edgar Ross, John Marston was at last laid to rest and his memory redeemed. "It's all over." Jack thought to himself when a grizzly voice from behind him said, "That was some nice shooting, Tex." Jack quickly looked up the small hill to see the setting sun and a man behind it. He was wearing a clean white shirt with a black tie, vest, and pants with a gun on his belt, all under a white cloak, the hood of which shadowed the man's face.


	4. Friend of Your Father's

Chapter 4: Friend of Your Father's

The man was smiling under his hood, his arms were crossed and he was laughing. This was off putting to Jack for a moment until a second later when he realized this man had witnessed what he'd just done. Quickly, he reloaded his gun and started walking toward the hooded man with his gun pointed at him.

"Now you listen here mister, if you tell anyone what happened here I swear I'll-"

Jack was interrupted, "Relax son, I won't tell nobody. In fact, I wanna congratulate you." The stranger's voice was soft, yet his mere tone made you hang on his every word. Jack knew, his father had that kind of voice.

"Congratulate me for what?", Jack asked, his gun still drawn.

"For beating me to my target." The man replied.

"What, you wanted Ross dead too?", Jack asked, surprised and confused.

"You bet, been tracking him for months now." Jack finally holstered his gun.

"Well I guess I did us both a favor then. Should've known I wasn't the only one Ross crossed over the years." The hooded stranger shook his head, " Jack you have no idea."

Jack tilted his head and asked, "How the hell you know my name?"

The man walked down the hill over to Jack, "Figures you don't remember me, you were only a baby when we first met." He then finally removed his hood, showing the rest of his face. Jack looked in shock to see this man looked exactly like his father in almost every way. His scraggly beard, his long, brown hair, ever his father's scar was on his face. Except for some things like the size of his chin and the color of his squinty eyes, he was his father's doppleganger. The man reached his hand over to shake.

Jack then noticed two more interesting features. For some reason his right arm had a vambrace on it with a strange insignia on it that somewhat resembled an "A". His hand itself had a scar across it in the shape of a scorpion. The same shape, he noticed, that was on the butt of the revolver on his belt. "Name's Red Harlow. I'm a friend of your father's" Slowly, Jack reached out and shook Red's hand.

"Pardon me Red but you... you l-look-"

"Exactly like your Dad? I know, weird. You dad thought so too." That was all Red had to say one the matter. He had a visibly serious and stoic demeanor about him.

Confused, his head buzzing with questions, Jack asked, "How did you know my father Red?".

He replied, "Your Dad saved my life years ago. We were best friends ever since." This was all complete news to Jack, which was strange since he thought he knew all of his father's old friends. The ones he rode with back in the day. "When we found out who killed your father, I volunteered to shoot the bastard myself. Didn't expect to find you here, though."

"Whose 'we'?", Jack asked.

"Well I'm with the Brotherhood just like your father used to be.", Red replied, looking a little confused himself.

"What brotherhood?", Jack asked, sounding rather annoyed now.

"Wh–, y–, Your father never told you?", asked Red

"Told me what?", yelled Jack.

Red sighed, "Figures he wouldn't want you involved, but you'd think when you were old enough...", Red then tucked his thumbs in his pockets, shook his head and sighed. "Where to even begin. Well it's too dark to talk about here but I got a camp set up about a mile south of here. I can explain there." Jack hadn't even noticed, but it was almost dark now. And Ross's buddy down the river would notice him gone by now so he agreed to go if only because he had so many questions. They both whistled for their horses and rode away.


	5. Nothing is True

_author's note: It might be a day or two before I release chapter 6. It's finished, but since I'm making the chapters longer now (I thought they turned out too short before) it'll take a while to type it up. Fear not, though, it's coming very soon. _

Chapter 5: Nothing is True...

With the little light they had left, Jack and Red rode for about ten minutes to Red's camp. It consisted of a glowing campfire with a chicken on a spit over it,

a large stump of wood right next to it, and a small cloth tent. After stepping off their horses,

the two men sat down at either side of the stump. Red then reached over and turned the spit

a few times. After doing so, he ripped off a drumstick and offered it to Jack who shook

his head in polite decline. Red shrugged and took a bite out of it himself before setting it down on

the stump. He then set his left elbow on the stump while reaching under his cloak with his other hand

to pull out a small hip flask.

He took a swig, sighed, and said, "I guess I should start at the beginning.", "Fair enough.", Jack agreed. "It all started around 800 years ago in the Holy Land."

Jack raised an eyebrow and let out a soft laugh, "Wow, when you said 'beginning', I didn't think you meant the '_beginning_' beginning.".

Red smirked a bit and then went serious again. "I assume you've read about the Crusades? Your Dad always said you were the academic type."

"Yeah, I've read a lot about them actually.", said Jack.

"Well this all started during the Third Crusade in the 12th century. During that time there were tow organizations been founded."

"One were the Order of the Hashshashin, more commonly known as the Brotherhood of Assassins, or just the Assassins. The other organization was the Knights Templar."

"I've read a little about the Templars, but what were the Assassins?", asked Jack.

"_Are_ the Assassins.", Red corrected, "We're still around. And what we are, are a Brotherhood of professionally trained killers what vowed to snuff out evilness and corruption wherever it exists."

Red took a minute to bum a cigarette as Jack asked, "And these guys your talking about. They're the Templars?"

"Uh-huh.", Red nodded.

"And my father? He was an Assassin?"

"His whole gang. They all were Assassins. Some of the best we ever had. That was until Dutch went nuts and left us."

"But we ain't all about killin'. We're also about educating. See what we want is what everyone wants... world peace."

At Red's last comment, Jack couldn't help but let out a loud laugh, " You want world peace," he asked, "and yet you say your called the Assassins and you kill people?"

"Only bad people, and only when we have to.", assured Red.

"Bad people that stand between us and true peace. See we believe peace is a thing to be taught and understood." Red took another gulp from his flask and another bite of his chicken. After swallowing, he continued, "Men like Edgar Ross back there, they make it so nobody can learn or understand real peace. Their idea of peace is one where men like him call the shots on everything. What we say, what we think, who we _are."_

"And what's your idea of real peace?", asked Jack curiously.

"One where all men are united. Where one man doesn't kill another for praying to a different god than him. Where people have learned to get along no matter what we may think of someone else."

"Granted, men like Ross want this too. However, instead of us learning what's right and wrong, they'd force on us what _they_ believe is right or wrong. They'd rob us of our freewill, Jack."

This was all getting way over Jack's head. He shook his head, sighed, and exclaimed, "This is nuts! I mean, how the hell is it humanly possible to take away a man's freewill? For that matter, if you people have been fighting some kind of underground war for the past 800 years, how has it not drawn any sort of attention?"

Red took a swig from his smoke and blew. "Well, as to the first part, that's an even longer story. For now, let's just say that they have very nasty, unnatural ways of robbing a man not only of his freewill, but also his soul." Jack shuddered a little. "As to the second part, heh,", Red laughed, "That's the sad part. The Templars? They're in control."

"What?", asked Jack in shock, "You mean like-",

"The government, Congress, the police, the military, the freakin Boy Scouts of America! Even the President's a Templar! Last year's election? It was rigged specifically to put Wilson in power.", Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And not just in this county, but pretty much every other country on the planet! In fact, word is that their planning something big in Germany even as we speak."

"You can't be serious about this!", Jack stood up and said.

"Dead serious, kid. Unfortunately."

Jack threw his hat down, started pacing, and put his hands in his hair. This man had to be crazy. This couldn't all be real, "But this is impossible! Things like this don't happen in America!", Jack insisted more to himself than Red. "Maybe in other countries, _maybe, _but this is America! We have systems in place, a Constitution, to keep exactly this from happening!"

Red took another puff from his cigarette before replying, "Yeah, that's what they've told us, and that's what we're supposed to believe."

"We're supposed to believe that we have a say in what our leaders do and who they are. That the government can't tell us what to think, or read, or say. That the government _can't _kidnap a man's wife and child and threaten to kill them if he doesn't do what they say! That the military _can't_ shoot a man dead on his own property without so much as a trial!", Red was shouting now in anger. Not at Jack, but at the sheer madness of it all. "Dammit Jack, didn't you ever wonder why there was never any investigation as to what happened?"

Red took one last puff of his smoke and threw the butt in the fire. Jack sat down again, by the stump, his heart very heavy. After all, he hadn't just become a Marshal to gain access to Ross. He did genuinely love his country and wanted to defend it. Now, this man who he'd just met was telling him it was all a front for some crazy, underground war? Sighing, and looking at Jack with sympathy, Red put his hand on his shoulder and said, "I know this is a lot to take in and this can't be easy for you to hear. But the truth is, kid, that almost everything you know, everything we're brought up to believe... it's all made-up bullshit." Jack's gaze turned to Red. "Nothing is true, Everything is permitted. That's our motto. Our Creed, if you will." Jack didn't understand what Red meant by this, so he instead thought on other things as he gazed back into the blaze.

If Red was telling the truth, if this war and these people actually existed, it would explain so much. Not just about his father and Ross, but why the government was turning it's attention to the West so suddenly. Why machines seemed to be taking the jobs of real people. Why the country had stumbled into such a Depression so quickly. Why free-enterprise was made obsolete by big corporations and their monopolies. If it's all been because these people, these Templars, have been trying to gain power and control, it would answer so many things!

"Damn, it's almost midnight! We'd better get some rest.", Red said as he glanced at his pocket watch, "Here, I got an extra blanket for you." He pulled an old blanket out of his pack and laid it down.

"Wait a minute, what happens now that you've told me all this?", asked Jack as he did so.

"Well now, Jack, that depends entirely on you.", Red replied as he positioned himself into his tent.

"What do you mean?", Jack asked as he laid down on his blanket.

"Well you could go back home to Blackwater. Live out your days as a respected US Marshal and forget you ever heard any of this."

"Or?", Jack wondered.

"Or you could join us. Carry on your father's work."

"What?", Jack replied as he sat up for a minute, "You mean become an Assassin like you?"

"I'll admit it's no easy life. The training alone is hard and would take months, maybe even years.", Red started as he interlocked his hands and tucked them under his head, "Plus, you'd always be moving around from place to place, never really getting recognition for all the good you'd be doing. "

"But I'll tell you what, though,", Red said as he pulled his hood over his eyes, "You'd be leading a much more exciting, fulfilling life than you could ever image and you'd really be making a difference in protecting this crazy-ass world of ours. Not to mention you'd be doing your father's memory really proud."

"Me, an Assassin?", Jack thought to himself. Much to his surprise, he felt very tempted to take Red up on his offer. If he really could make a difference; moreover, if there was _anything _Jack could do to fight this madness that was happening right under everyone's noses, wasn't it his _duty _to do so?

"You don't have to answer now. Just sleep on it and we'll talk about it in the morning." Jack was very tired at this point. After all, it had been an incredibly long day. The longest day of his life. So he laid back down and let his eyelids drop as he slowly fell asleep pondering this life-changing decision he would have to make. He also pondered what Red had said was the Assassin's motto. What did he mean by that? _"Nothing is true," _he kept repeating to himself. "_Everything is permitted..." _


	6. The Hidden Blade and a Poker Game

Chapter 6: The Hidden Blade and a Poker Game

As Jack fell asleep, Desmond noticed a small caption below his head that read "Memory Sequence 1 Complete", signaling the end of that particular genetic memory. Proceeding this, the world became seemingly shaky and wavy to Desmond and small lines of computer code seemed to be running up and down the picture. This meant the Animus was preparing to load the next memory on his DNA. Suddenly, the world began to disassemble itself, turning once again into the pure white Animus mainframe.

Desmond once again started walking around the mainframe, this time looking like Jack Marston. It would only be a minute or two before his next memory was loaded. All of a sudden, Desmond could hear the sound of the mainframe reforming itself. Just as soon as he did, he found himself back at Red Harlow's camp, the morning after he'd last seen him.

"Hey kid, wake up!", Red yelled at Jack as he gave him a slight kick to the chest. He woke up and looked up at Red before quickly getting up. After Jack had done so, Red rolled up the blanket he was sleeping on and put it back in his pack, now attached to his horse's saddle. As he did this, he also pulled out a large, red apple. "Breakfast,", he simply refereed it to as he threw it at Jack, barely reacting quickly enough to catch it. "Saddle up, kid. You can eat that on the way to Chuparosa.", Red said as he hopped on his horse and put his hood back up.

"What's in Chuparosa?, Jack asked after taking a large bite of his apple.

"It's almost 9 am. I always like to play Poker at 9 am.", Red explained.

Jack took another bite, shrugged and said to himself, "Sure, why the hell not? I sure could use a break after yesterday.", as he hopped on his horse as well and put on his father's hat. The two poked their horse's sides with their spokes, sending them galloping down the road towards Chuparosa, Red on his dark brown horse and Jack on his father's Kentucky Saddler.

"That's a fine horse you got there, kid.", complemented Red over the sound of their horse's hooves.

"Thanks," replied Jack.

"Must've cost a fortune.", mused Red.

"Actually my Pa broke this one himself while doing some work for the MacFarland's.".

"Did he now?", asked Red.

"Yeah, my Dad did work for a lot of folks 'round these parts that last time he went away. Made quite a name for himself, too."

"Your father was a good man, kid. He didn't deserve what happened to him."

"I know.", Jack replied.

The two men had made it to the train tracks and decided to follow them to Chuparosa when Jack asked, "So how'd you wind up in all this?".

"Same way you did, kid.", Red replied. He looked at the scorpion scar on his hand and continued, " The Brotherhood found me after I killed the Templar son of a bitch who killed my father.", Red clenched his fist and winced before focusing on the trail once more. Jack could tell that was all Red had to say on the matter and didn't mention it again.

They were about a mile away from town when Jack asked another question, "How'd my Dad save your life?".

"Well, the Brotherhood sent me to check up on youse after he retired, wanted to make sure you were doing okay for yourselves. Halfway there, a goddamn cougar came out of nowhere and killed my horse. Would've gotten me too if your Dad hadn't have been hunting in the area. He shot the cougar and skinned it. Sold the pelt at Manzanita Post and invited me over to your farm where your Mom stewed him up and fed to us fer dinner. Ha!", Red laughed, "Served the bastard right!"

"And as I said we were best friends ever since. I'd help around the farm whenever I could, we played Poker all the time, I— Ah, speakin' of which, here we are." They'd just now ridden through the town's front gate, going past the sherif's station and hanging a right to the saloon. When they got to the hitching post, they hopped of their horses and tied their reins to it.

"By the way," said Red, "I heard about your Mom. I'm very sorry. She was a strong woman.".

"Thanks.", replied Jack.

The two men walked to the saloon, stopping when they got to the bar to talk to the bartender. "Si, signors, how can I help you?", he asked. Red gave him a hundred dollar bill and asked him for 500 chips for him and Jack. After he gave them their chips, they walked back outside to the poker table were two other men were already playing Poker. One was a scruffy-looking Mexican with a mustache, wearing a dirty, white, short sleeved dress shirt and brown vest. The other was an American with red hair and a beard wearing a white hat and vest with a blue dress shirt and red bandana around his neck.

"Deal us in, gentlemen.", requested Red, who sat down across from the Mexican, setting his chips down in front of him. Jack sat down to the left of Red, also setting his chips on the table. It was at this point, Jack noticed for the first time that Red was wearing another vambrace on his left arm, though this was didn't have the "A" insignia. Paying no mind to this for now, Jack turned his attention to the Mexican, who had just grabbed the deck and was dealing them two cards a man.

Everyone took a quick look at their cards before turning to Jack. "You go ahead and start, gringo.", said the Mexican. Jack took another peek at his cards. He had a good hand, a pair of Jacks.

"Let's start things off with 30.", he said as he placed his bet.

"I'll call that.", agreed Red, as did the other two men. The Mexican took the deck again and placed the first three community cards, two 9's and a Jack.

_Yes!_, Jack though to himself while keeping a straight face. Jack than raised 100 chips, causing Red and the redhead to fold. The Mexican, however, called Jacks 100 and raised him another 50. To which Jack called another 150 chips. The pot was now 520 chips as the Mexican dealt another community car, another Jack! Jack struggled to keep a straight face, very proud of himself for being so lucky.

"I'll bet another 200," said Jack after doing so. The Mexican thought about it for a few minutes until eventually calling his 200. He then dealt the fifth and final card, a 10. This was of no consequence to Jack since he already had a winning hand, so he bet another 100 chips to which the foolish Mexican called.

"So, what are ya holding mister?", asked Jack. The Mexican proudly laid down his cards, a 9 and a 10. "Full house, gringo! What about you?".

"Oh, nothing much," said Jack with a smug smirk, "Just four Jacks!". He threw down his cards and took the pot to himself as the Mexican cursed at him. The cards were dealt again, this time giving Jack a 2 and a 3. Jack started the betting at 10 chips, to which Red called and raised another 50. Everyone else called Red's 60, but Jack didn't want to risk it, he folded. The bet's got higher and higher as the game progressed, eventually resulting in a pot of 1070 chips and a set of community cards of two Kings, a Queen, a Jack, and a 10. Except for one King, they were all diamond suit.

"Full House, Queen over King.", said the redhead after the betting was over.

"Ha! Four Kings!", the Mexican showed off with pride.

"I beat you both," said Red who showed his hand of an Ace diamond and a 9 club. "Royal Flush. Thank you kindly, gentlemen, for such a great —."

"Not so fast, gringo!", interrupted the Mexican. "There's no way you could've had that exact Ace without cheating!".

"Now hold on just a minute mister–," started Jack before the Mexican stood up and interrupted,

"Shut up, lawman! Your friend's a goddamn cheat!".

"I didn't do no such thing!", Red stood up and insisted.

"Then let me look at those things on your wrists! Your probably hid the Ace in there!", the Mexican stood up as well.

"You can do no such thing!", yelled Red.

"I said, show me your sleeves, cavrone!", yelled the Mexican back as he drew his revolver. Red, in turn, drew his and pointed it back at the foolish man sitting across from him. The two men squinted at each other for about a minute before the Mexican spoke up again.

"Meet me in front of the fountain, right now. And bring a long, pine box."

The men holstered their guns when Red replied, "Bring your own!".

The two men started walking towards their spots when Jack interjected, "Listen, Red, you sure this guy's worth it? He's psychotic, man!".

"Don't you worry about me, kid.", Red replied as he cracked his knuckles and neck, "I eat scum like him for breakfast." The two men were now at their spots in front of the town fountain, about ten feet from each other. Their fingers twitched towards their guns as they stared at each other, daring the other to draw first.

"DRAW!", yelled the Mexican as he pulled his gun. The second he did so, however, it flew out of his hand. It was shot out by Red's scorpion gun, which had been drawn so fast, Jack didn't even see it. He hadn't seen shooting that fast since... _But how?_, Jack though to himself. Red smiled victoriously as he started walking back towards the Poker table.

"Pedazo del muerta cavrone!", yelled the Mexican as he pulled a Bowie knife from his belt and ran at Red with it.

"Red, look out behind you!", Jack yelled at Red. What happened next happened so fast, Jack almost missed it. After hearing Jack's warning, Red stopped in his tracks and flicked his wrists back, releasing two small, shining blades from the underside of each bracer. After doing so, he turned to the Mexican and crossed the blades, catching the Mexican's knife and hand in mid-stab. After holding his ground for a few seconds, Red pulled the blades apart, forcing the Mexican to drop the knife and instead grasp his half decapitated, bleeding hand in his arm.

The man screamed, "Ah! Damn you, you goddamn gring– huh?", he stopped in shock to notice the blades coming out of both of Red's outstretched arms. He looked even more terrified when he looked back up to see Red grinning under his hood.

"You wanted to see what I had up my sleeves, didn't you?", he asked with his teeth clenched, "Well here it is!" Red then took his right blade and stabbed the man right in his belly. Then he took it out to stab him again with his left blade. And the same again, and again ,and again, and again, until Red finally finished him off with a right blade right threw the neck.

Jack could hear gurgling sounds coming from the man as blood began to erupt from his mouth, thick and crimson. Red finally retracted his blade while at the same time punching him on the side of the head as hard as he could with the other hand, sending him crashing to the ground, a gored-up, bloody mess. Red looked down at the poor, foolish soul whose body he'd just reduced to a pile of blood and guts when he flicked his clenched fists forward, retracting the blades back into his bracers. He then walked back to Jack and scooped up their chips in his arms, "Come on, kid, let's cash in these chips and get the hell outta here."

They got the money for their chips and walked back to their horses, Jack still in shock from such an unexpected display of gore. When they reached their horses and Red had put the money in his pack, he finally asked him, "What the hell are those things?".

"What these?", he held up his wrists, "Dual hidden blades, the Assassins's weapon of choice for over 800 years. Which, uh, reminds me...", Red walked over to Jack and crossed his arms.

" Have you decided?", he asked. Jack had been thinking hard about this ever since Red brought it up. Finally, he'd come to his decision.

"I have, Red.", he said.

"And?"

"And I've decided I want to carry on my father's work. I want to learn to be an Assassin and help you fight this madness."

"Bare in mind, kid," warned Red, "Once you start down this path, you might never go back."

"I know."

Red smiled and gave Jack a slap on the back, "Then welcome aboard, kid! Head on over to the market, stock up on supplies and meet me at the train station with your horse in an hour."

"Wait, why—"

", Just do it! I got a lot to do before we leave."

"Leave to go where?", asked Jack as Red mounted his horse.

"To San Francisco to begin your training. We'll take the train here and get dropped off in Phoenix, hop another train once we're there."

Jack nodded and did as he said. He took his horse to the market, right next door from the saloon and bought some medicine, apples, and chewing tobacco. After doing so, he took his horse to the Chuparosa station and waited until Red came to meet him. Red gave Jack his ticket as he, in turn, gave him the provisions he brought.

"Good work, kid. It's gonna be a long trip, we'll definitely need these." They then brought their horses to the animal car where they would spend the trip.

After doing so, they started walking towards the passenger car when Jack asked, "Red, can I ask you something?".

"Shoot.", said Red.

"That thing you said was our motto? Nothing is true and everything's permitted?".

"Yeah?", Red replied.

"What did you mean by it?", Jack asked as they got on the car and took their seats.

"Well, that's a pretty hard question. One you'll study a lot about during your training. But basically what it means to be smart, keep and open mind, and never believe everything you hear or read." Jack nodded as the train's horn honked and the train started to move. As it did, Jack started looking out the window, reflecting on the choice he'd just made and what he thought the future might hold. At the same time, Desmond saw a caption below his head that read "Memory Sequence 2 Complete".

**Woo! All done! That's better, right? No more clusters of dialogue confusing my poor fans! No sir! BTW, in case you were wondering, I'm working on chapters 7 and 8 as we speak. School's kinda taken me by surprise this month, know what I mean? Anyway, I should have them up before next Monday. **


	7. Headquarters

**A/N* Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long. School and the holidays has made me really busy. But I promised myself to upload at least one chapter just for you guys! For future reference, though, don't be surprised if it takes me a while to update. I promise that I will upload each chapter just as soon as they are done! Before we get started, I'd like to give a quick shout-out to Ridler. His stuff is awesome and I highly recommend him. I'd also like to give a shout-out to Raven Ethar and Kirmon64 for reading his story! With that said, here at long last is Chapter Seven of Red Dead Assassin! **

Chapter 7: Headquarters

A flash of white light and a few minutes of waiting and the world of the Animus began to take form again. Buildings and people began to grow out of nothing. Street cars, a bay, clubs and theaters, museums and apartments, and finally a large**, **red bridge all sprouted from the infinite landscape. As the bridge panned out and became focused, Desmond saw, in all white lines, a figure of a hawk with it's wings spread on a crown and beneath, a caption that read, "San Francisco, CAJanuary, 1914".

When the city had fully appeared, the Animus began to zoom in on a train station on 22nd Street. Sending Desmond back into Jack Marston's body. He and Red were just stepping out of the train, their rucksacks slung over their shoulders. They started walking twords a horse drawn carriage waiting for them in the street, when Red spoke to Jack.

"Don't worry about the horses," Red assured, "We're having them sent to a safehouse, a farm in the country. Your Pa's horse will be fine there. Besides, we won't be needin' them while were in the city."

"Fair enough.", Jack shrugged as they threw their bags into the carriage, "So how far away is this place?"

"Not far at all. Just a ways into town. It's at a construction site."

"A what?", Jack asked.

"It'll make sense when we get there. Now get in." Red opened up the carriage door and they both went in.

As the carriage went into the city, Jack marveled at all the sights. The streetcars, all the vendors, the clubs, the docks, he could even see the marvelous Golden Gate Bridge in all it's glory off in the distance.

"Never been to the big city before, I take it?", Red raised his eyebrow and asked.

"No, I ain't never even been outside New Austin!", Jack replied.

"Well take a good, long look cause where we're goin', you won't be havin' much of a view. Trust me.", said Red.

"Shoot, You serious?", Jack whined, "But there seems like there's so much to see! So much to do!"

"You ain't on vacation, boy! You're here to work! To train! To mold yourself into an unstoppable killin' machine!", Red then got in Jack's face, looked him dead in the eye and said, "They're gonna work you so hard, you won't have the time to take a piss let alone see the goddamn bridge!"

Scared, Jack decided to keep his mouth shut when Red shook his head and looked back out the window.

"Freakin kids today!", he muttered.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Red spoke up again.

"Besides, you'll get to see plenty of sights from all over in this line of work. It can take us all over the world. And that's doubly so nowadays. All of Europe being at war, the US to follow soon enough.", he scoffed, "I tell you, it's genius."

"Genius?", Jack asked.

"It's a classic Templar strategy. They do something that makes a few cities, in this case whole countries, to go to war. It goes on for a couple years and ends with a lot of bad blood between everyone involved. People are left angry and confused, desperate for direction. It's then that the Templars make their grab for power."

"What then?", Jack asked, interested.

"I dunno. But you can be sure that as long as we're around they won't get away with it. They never have. It ain't gonna be easy, though. The shit's really hit the fan in Europe. Out people are gettin' killed off left and right. Templars are getting away with God knows what; this is a very interesting time we're living in, kid." Red bummed a cigarette and blew a ring of smoke out the window before continuing,

"Very interesting indeed..."

After a while, they finally stopped. Oddly enough, it was indeed at a construction site. It was near the park and was truly a sight to behold. The entire block was surrounded by a high wooden fence, but even then, Jack still could see a huge, beautiful, albeit half-finished, dome. He recognized it as being one much like back in the Itallian Renaissance. He could also make out several tall, marble pillars, organized in colonnades next to the dome.

He could hear several men working and shouting instructions from the other side as another pillar started sprouting up, held together with ropes. When the pillar finally stood tall, the ropes were released and he heard cheering.

Jack then turned his attention back to Red who had walked up to a small door in the fence. He rapped on in a few times and shortly after, a large man with a beard and a hard hat opened it and popped his head out from behind the door. Red then flashed the insignia on his arm and the man quickly let him in.

As the two men walked in, Jack was greeted with an even more impressive sight. Behind the magnificent dome and pillars, was the beginnings of a large building that stretched across the entire area one side to the other. In front of all of this, landscapers and hole diggers were working on the beginnings of what looked like an in-pond fountain and a beautiful landscape with flowers and grass and the like.

Speaking of workers, there were hundreds of them. Some were digging holes or landscaping, some were working on the building, others were taking instructions from architects on how to build the pillars or the dome. All of this... but nothing that looked even a bit like a secret Assassin headquarters.

"Kid,", Red said giving Jack a slap on the back, "welcome th the Palace of Fine Arts."

"Now hold on a second, Red, what happened to–", Jack started before Red interjected.

"Hold your horses kid, I'm taking you there right now.", he said, "Trust me, it'll all make sense in a minute."

The two started walking twords the colonnades when Jack asked, "What's all this even for?"

"The World Fair next year. I guess it's supposed to be a tribute to Renaissance art and architecture or something like that. I ain't into that kind of stuff.", Red told him.

"I think that sounds kinda fascinating. Who's in charge here?", asked Jack

"An architect called Maynord. Bernard Maynord. He's a sharp guy. He even built the HQ. Speaking of which, here we are.", Red said as they arrived at the colonnades.

"Alright Red, all I see is a bunch of pillars. Where is this place?", Jack turned to Red and insisted.. In response, Red simply held up his hand and pointed to the ground. Incredibly confused at this point, Jack asked, "What does that even mean?"

Red then shrugged in annoyance and pushed him out of sight, in between four of the pillars.

"Look," said Red, "you remember that earthquake San Francisco had around eight years ago?"

"I was a bit young, but sure. It was all people were talkin' about that year. Didn't it knock down half the town or something?", replied Jack.

"Something like that. Anyway, as you might know the foundation San Francisco is built on is real weak on account of the earth being so moist. It was part of the reason the quake was so devastating. But since the earth was so moist, the quake also displaced it. A _lot_ of it. So much that it formed a huge cave under the city. And all that water eventually evaporated and then condensed on the dirt, hardening it enough to form a foundation in the cave strong enough to build a building in.

**(A/N* Of course! Don't you know anything about science?) **

"We found the cave and got Maynord to build the HQ for us. He's always been a supporter of us, you see, and his Palace of Fine Arts was a great cover-up for the base."

Jack was incredibly impressed. It was all so ingenious. Now he_ really_ wanted to see it.

"This is extraordinary! How do we get there?", he asked.

"You slide there.", Red simply said.

"_Slide _there?", Jack hesitantly asked.

"Yep."

Red then walked up to one of the pillars and retracted his hidden blade and stuck the blade in a small slit in the pillar. Shortly after, Jack heard a small muffled pop followed by a small part of the pillar sinking into itself. Then, Red put his hand on this part and demonstrated that it was a kind of door on wheels similar to a sliding-glass door. He then opened it enough for Jack to peek inside. The entire pillar was hollow. A steel tube enough for a man to fit in ran all the way to the top and down into blackness.

"Okay once I open this all this way, it'll close by itself after 30 seconds so we'll have to –"

"Wait Red, hold on a second!", interrupted Jack, really nervous now, "I ain't so sure about this. I mean, is there no other way in?"

"There is, but it involves trudging through a mile and a half of raw sewage. Which would you prefer?", asked Red.

Jack bit his lip. He didn't seem to have much choice. "Alright, fine", he resigned.

"Good.", red said, putting his bag down for a minute. He then proceeded to give Jack a tutorial on the slide. He told him to hold his stuff tight to his chest with crossed arms, to keep his chin tucked in, and to cross his ankles as soon as he jumped in. Jack positioned himself accordingly.

"Ready, kid?", Red asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be.", Jack replied after taking a deep breath.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit", Red smirked.

And with that, he rolled the door open all the way and told Jack to go. Taking in a huge gulp of air and squeezing his eyes shut tight, Jack walked up and, without letting himself think about it, plunged down into the darkness, crossing his ankles immediately after doing so.

Jack let out a scream as he fell farther and farther. After about thirty seconds of doing so, he felt the slide slowly start to curve upward. When it finally did so, however, it merely dropped again. This time it was much shorter and it sent Jack into what felt like a large spiral. For a while, Jack continued downward in that spiral until he decided to open his eyes. When he did so, he saw a small glint of light shining off the tube.

No sooner had he seen this light had the spiral taken him to slant downward drop which eventually went completely horizontal and sent him flying into a small pit filled with pillows. Once he gathered his thoughts, Jack looked around and saw a ladder leading out of the pit. So he grabbed his bag, replaced his hat and got up. Trudging through the soft pillows, he eventually got to the ladder. When he did so, he heard a commotion from the tube followed by Red shooting out of it falling into the pit as well, Upon seeing him, Jack reached over and grabbed Red's hand and pulled him over to the ladder.

When they got out, Jack took a look around. They were in a relatively large room lit by a chandelier hung from the ceiling. Across the wall, facing where they had come in, was the Assassin's symbol written in red. Beneath and around that were Arabic letters arranged as words.

"Woah.", Jack said as he gazed at it. "Red, what does that say?"

"That's the Assassins Creed, written in it's original Arabic. Out symbol, our philosophy, and our three most important tenets. You'll learn all about that in good time of course."

Red then led Jack to the other side of the room though a door which led to a small flight of stairs. At the top was a wooden door with no knob. Jack stood behind Red as he knocked on the door, resulting in a slit in the door to open up revealing a pair of eyes.

"Password?", the man on the other side asked.

"Notlob.", Red replied.

"That Marston's kid?"

"Yeah, he's with me."

The man then closed the slit. Jack could then hear a bunch locks unlocking on the other side followed by the opening of the door. The doorman was a black haired man with glasses and a moustache. He smiled at Red and shook his hand before letting the two in.

"We got your message a couple days ago. Is it true? Did Marston's boy really get to Ross first?", the man asked.

"That's right.", confirmed Red.

"Well it is an honor to meet you", the man said turning to Jack, "Your father was one of our best assassins. And he was an even better man, even if he didn't think so."

"Thanks mister.", Jack said shaking his hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Elijah. I'm the doorman down here, as you might've guessed. And this is the Security Floor."

Jack then looked around at the room he was in. It was large and circular. The West side had a few bunk beds (one of which was being slept in) and a locked gun cabinet. The East side had a small kitchen with a wood table where several men were playing cards, another gun cabinet, and a door that read "Exit" over it.

But the most glaring aspect of the room and the first thing Jack noticed was the huge machine gun turret in the dead center of the room which had a few sandbags around it and was pointed at the door.

"This is as good a place as any to start the tour, I guess.", said Red to Jack who was still in awe about the gun. "This here's the Security Floor. First line of defense in case of an attack. The gun's new. Heisted it myself as a matter-of-fact. Off a Templar base last year. It was my birthday gift to Isaac."

"Isaac?", Jack asked.

"The Master of the Assassins. Our leader. Which reminds me, we better get going. He'll be wanting to see you before your training begins.", said Red. "Just to make sure you're really committed to this." He then turned to Elijah and said, "See you."

"See you later, boss.", he replied, "And good luck, Marston!"

"Thanks.", waved Jack.

The pair then walked behind the gun to the opposite side of the room twords an elevator that Jack hadn't noticed before. When they got to there, Red pushed a button that was next to it, followed by a few moments of the sound of grinding gears. Shortly after, the door opened revealing a short, young man at the elevator's lever.

"Hey, boss!", the man said, "Going up?"

"Yeah, Bill. I wanna go to my bunk first and then to Isaac's. Junior here's coming to meet the old man.", he replied.

"Will do, boss!", Bill said as the two walked in.

Red closed the door and the group started up. The elevator moved slowly, which allowed Jack to see the headquarters through the bars of the door. Red explained each room as they went up. One floor above Security Floor was the Gym and Track Floor which was, of course, a huge gym filled with weightlifting equipment and pull-up bars with a standard track going around it. Jack could see about a dozen men making use of their facilities. Some alone, some with their teachers.

One floor about that was the Hand-to-Hand Combat Training Floor. Which was comprised of a large ring and a few training dummies and punching bags. Jack could see that a part of young recruits were sparring in the ring and a few students were receiving instructions from their respective teachers, practicing on the dummies.

One floor above that was the Melee Combat Training Floor. A kind of dojo made up the room as well as more dummies and a wall covered in variable swords, axes, knives, and staffs. The floor above that was the Shooting Range, and it was just that, a shooting range.

Each of the previously mention training floors were shaped like a half circle. The other half was taken up by what Jack could see from all three floors to be a ruined three story building which Red said was the Parkour Obstacle Course and would help teach him one of the Assassins most advenatious traits, Parkour.

The elevator then stopped, for they were at their first destination, the Barracks Floor. They walked out and started walking down the hallway where it led out to. The hallway had bunk beds taking up either side and curved in a spiral all around the floor. The beds all had small chests attached to the end for each man to put his things. After every second bunk bed there was a door that led to a bathroom.

After walking for a ways and shaking hands with a few more Assassins who knew Jack's father, they arrived at the neatly made bunk which was Red's.

"So what do you think of the place so far, kid?", Red asked as he started taking a new set of clothes out of his chest.

"It's incredible! It's amazing! It's an architectural marvel! I mean I never– I would've never though in my life that–", Jack was interrupted by Red who told him,

"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture. Jeez, you're an excitable little cuss ain't ya? Well you better be more reserved when you meet Isaac. I don't want you embarrasin' me." Red finished taking out his new clothes and then started untying his tie.

"Lousy penguin suit! Been waiting for days to get outta this thing!", he muttered.

"These ain't your usual clothes?", Jack asked.

"Hell no! I only wore this to infiltrate the Templars and find out about Ross."

It only took a few minutes for him to change out of his suit and into a plain shirt, a long black wool coat with gray fur trim, and black trousers. He then put on his white cloak over all of that and the two went back to the elevator.

On his way up, Jack saw three more floors. First was the Mess Hall Floor, a large, circular cafeteria filled with several long tables. Above that was the Communications Floor, a circular, white room filled with at least two dozen people sitting at desks either writing letters or sending telegrams. Some of them were putting messages in tubes and sending them down one of many large tubes which lead to one of the floors. Finally, there was another large, circular, white room only filled with several scientists and engineers in lab coats. Some were tending to chemistry sets, testing either bits of evidence or concocting poisons, and others were at work benches prefecting Assassination gadgets.

After passing that floor, they had finally reached their final destination. The Top Floor, the Master's Quarters. When the two walked out of the elevator, Jack took a look around. The room was large and circular, like all the others, only this one had a rather high, domed ceiling with a chandelier hanging down. The room itself was dark purple on the ceiling and turquoise colored on the wall. The room had four large bookcases on either side and at the opposite end from where Jack was, there was a desk covered in books, papers, and various trinkets. Behind the desk was a small bed up against the wall, next to it was a grey owl on a perch, and sitting at the desk was a very interesting looking man.

He had long, white hair and a long, white beard an wore a black robe. He looked a bit like Merlin except without the hat. The old man looked up from what he was working on and smiled at the two men.

"Safety and peace, Red!", the man greeted him.

"Upon you as well, Master.", Red bowed back.

The old man stood up and slowly started walking twords the men. When he reached them, he turned to Jack and said,

"You are Marston's boy, eh?"

"Yes sir. M-my name is Jack.", he replied, talking off his hat in respect. The old man then reached out his hand and shook Jack's.

"My name is Isaac. And I am the Master of the Assassin Order in the United States."

"It's a pleasure to meet you... Master.", Jack replied and bowed his head.

"So, Red tells me you wish to be an Assassin like your father before you."

"That's right,", Jack said nodding, "I feel I can't stand idly by while the whole world gets taken over under everyone's noses."

"Ah! You sound just like your father.", said Isaac, "When he was young he always talked about freeing the people and bringing justice to the wicked. But when he got older and got betrayed by Dutch and his gang, he changed.

"He thought the sun rose and set with Dutch and when he just left him on that boat to die, it destroyed him. It was like everything he ever worked for, all the people he killed, everything he believed in, his whole life, was all for nothing. The day he and Abigail left us, he ranted at me about how 'We'll never be free even if we do win' and 'We have no idea what we're even killing for anymore'. It made me very sad to see him so cynical.

" But he had always served us well and was still like family to me. So I let them leave. Believe me, Jack, when I say that if there was anything I could've done to save your father, I would have. I told your father that if he left, we wouldn't be able to protect him. But he said he didn't need it. I'm not saying what happened to your father was his own fault, I only want you to understand that your father knew what might happen and accepted it.

"With that in mind, I want to know if you are truly committed to our cause. Very few Assassins live to old age. Those that do still can't leave or they get hunted down and killed by the Templars, like your father. Training will take many months, more likely years. And even after that, it's a hard, hard life. I'm sure Red has told you all this already, but the path you've chosen is not an easy one at all. Knowing that... you are willing to sacrifice everything to join us? I'd like to know your reasons"

Jack too a deep breath and responded in a strong, steady voice,

"Sir, I've seen things in my short life that no person should see in their lifetimes. I've seen men shot and killed since I couldn't even walk. I've seen the bloody, ruined corpse of my father lying in the dirt. I've seen my late mother kidnaped along with me and help in a damp, dirty prison cell for months. I've seen injustice, disease, and misery take the life of my mother. My parents did literally everything for me. They starved, suffered, killed, were humiliated, and died for me. So believe me, sir, when I say, that I have absolutely nothing to lose. Nothing but my life. And I am more than willing to give it up so as to help make it so that one day what happened to me will never happen to no one else ever again. Just so long as I can take as many dirty rat bastards like Ross down with me as I can."

There was a short silence. Until Isaac slowly started to smile again. He then let out a chuckle and patted him on the back.

"Jack Marston," said Isaac, "I am honored to welcome you into the Assassin Order. Your training will begin just as soon as we can find you a teacher."

"I'll teach the kid." Red volunteered, "I feel like I owe it to his father to watch out for him. That don't mean that I'm gonna go easy on him, though. Don't you worry Master."

"Ah, very good! Very good!", said Isaac, "Count yourself lucky, boy. Red's one of my best men. He'll make a fantastic teacher! Isn't that right, Ulysses?", he turned to the owl who hooted in response. "Yes, yes, yes.", he said as he walked back to his desk and sat down.

"You may rest tonight but be ready. Your training starts at dawn tomorrow." With that, the two men returned to the elevator and headed back to the Barracks.

"That was quite a speech you gave back there. I was impressed.", said red on the way down.

"Thanks, Red. All I did was–", Jack was interrupted again by Red.

"Hey, it's Master now boy! I'm your teacher now, remember?"

"Oh. Sorry."

"Hey, I'm just joshin' you, kid.", smirked Red aiming a punch at Jack.

The elevator then opened and the two went back to Red's bunk.

"You can have the top bunk.", said Red.

"Thanks!", Jack replied, putting the things in his rucksack in his chest.

After chatting for a bit, the two men went to the Mess Hall and had a supper of Spam and potatoes ("Get used to it. Get _really_ used to it.", said Red) and then headed back to their bunks. Jack got acquainted with a few young recruits in the neighboring bunks for about an hour after that and then it was lights out.

As Jack got settled in his bed, a thought occurred to him.

"Red. Psst, Red you awake?", he whispered.

"Yeah, what?", Red groaned in reply.

"You think I got what it takes?"

"Hell yeah! It's in your blood, kid!"

"Alright." There was a pause and Jack spoke up again.

"Red?", he whispered.

"Yeah?", Red replied.

"It's worth it, right?"

"Yeah. If your strong enough, it's totally worth it."

And with that, the two men fell asleep and a small caption appeared that read, "Memory Sequence 3 Complete".


	8. The Training Montage

Chapter 8:The Training Montage

The next memory loaded to Jack, still asleep in his bunk. It was quiet until the Bugle Call, Reveille, started to blare over a PA. Jack woke, but then simply turned over. Red, however, got up immediately, put on his gear and started shaking Jack, trying to wake him.

"Come on, junior. Wakey, wakey! First day of the rest of your life, here!", he said as he shook him. It caused Jack to stir and get up enough to see the clock on the wall next to him. It was 4 am.

"Ahh, seriously, Red? Four in the morning? My first comfortable sleep in over a week and you get me up at four in the morning?", Jack complained, "Have a heart and give me just a few more minutes to cherish the moment, will ya?", Jack finished, laying back down.

Very much irritated, Red pulled out his revolver and put it up to Jack's pillow, inches from his head, and fired. This caused Jack to get up completely with a start and a yell, resulting in a few snickers from the other assassins. Jack then looked at the newly-formed hole in his pillow and then looked at Red with shock.

"Give me that, 'few more minutes' bullshit one more time and it'll be your balls next.", Red promised with a grimace, "Your not a freakin' farm boy anymore. You're a goddamn assassin!"

Jack nodded, having learned his lesson once and for all, and got out of bed. Once he did this, he was given a set of clothes which Red had gotten out of his chest. The clothes consisted of an A-shirt, a pair of track pants, and a pair of running shoes, all with the Assassins's insignia on them. Jack quickly changed into them, and followed Red to the elevator with several other assassins.

"Red, umm, I'm almost afraid of asking at this point but, well, when's breakfast?", Jack asked hesitantly.

Red rolled his eyes. "Breakfast is served at 9am.", he said, "Don't worry, we'll be able to get plenty of work in before then, and after." Jack almost groaned, but then remembered the balls threat and kept his mouth shut.

They then arrived at the Gym Floor where most of them got out. When they did so, Red let Jack in between two pull-up bars and had him stand at attention there. After a few quick stretches, Red started to speak.

"Jack Marston," he said, "today you begin the most difficult journey you will ever face. It will be hell at first, I won't lie. But once you see the results, and in a year or so, when your ready to go out in the field, you will cherish the pain your are about to experience and look back on it as the time you started making a difference. I am going to personally see to it that your body is trained to it's utmost potential. You'll be able to accomplish feats you never thought possible. And it all starts, right now.

"Your first task is simple.", Red continued, "Run around this track until I tell you to stop. Got that, farm boy?"

"Yes, sir!", yelled Jack.

"Then get to it!", Red commanded.

Jack immediately got started. He ran to the track and started running around it. He was able to do so no problem until around the fifth or sixth lap. He had already gotten tired and had started to slow down to a brisk jog. No sooner had he did this, however, then Red got out his pistol and yelled, "I SAID RUN, BOY!"

Jack, startled, picked up the pace. Lap after lap, he ran. And every time his pace slowed too much, Red simply brandished his gun again and he sped up. However, after about an hour of this, Red allowed Jack to slow down a bit, for fear of him getting a heart attack on his first day. In the hours that followed, Red had left to get a beer or go to the bathroom on a few occasions, where as Jack simply kept running away, sweat literally pouring down his shirt. Eventually, Red told Jack he could stop. Sighing in relief, he got himself back to Red an bent down on one knee to rest, having been through the workout of his life.

Taking a sip of his beer, Red smirked. "Well make an assassin out of you yet, kid.", he said with a laugh.

Jack was panting heavily, but he still managed to speak. "What...time...is it?", he asked, panting between each word.

Red checked his pocket watch, and then put it back. "Your in luck, kid.", he said, "It's 8:30. Only a half our till breakfast."

"Can...we...take a–a break...then?", asked Jack.

"A break? You serious? Assassins don't take breaks, boy. But I'll make you a deal. For every 100 push-ups you give me, I'll owe you one ten-minute break. Let's start now!"

Jack groaned, regretting his words, and got down into push-up position. He then started doing push-ups as Red counted them. As this happened, Desmond spoke up.

"_Uhh, Lucy?",_ he said, _"This is funny and all, but what about _my_ training? Not to sound whiny but they're not doing much in the way of combat so far." _

"_Desmond's right.",_ agreed Rebecca, "_What do you say, this is the perfect opportunity to try out my new montage program!"_

"_Sure, go ahead.", _said Lucy.

" '_Montage program'?", _asked Desmond.

"_Basically, you experience a few short_ _memories as we fast forward to up to a year after this. All the while, your taking in everything Jack's learning during that year. Basically, the montage trains you.", _explained Rebecca, "_I realized how pressed for time we were and though it would be a valuable asset." _

"_Sounds cool.", _said Desmond, _"If we had some music, it could be like something out of 'Rocky'!" _

"_Not a bad idea, Desmond."_, admitted Shaun, _"Here, I've got my I Pod. I think I've got just the right music for it. Listen to this."_

_You're the best. Around!_

_Nothing's ever gonna keep you down!_

_You're the be– _

"_No, no, NO!",_ insisted Rebecca, "_ Come on, are you serious? Man, you always have the crappiest song selections. We're assassins for crying out loud . When we do something, we do it in style. I got a real song to go with this." _

"_Oh, and what would that be?",_ asked Shaun.

**(A/N* Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for! If you'd like to make the moment more authentic, simply go to this address: **.com/watch?v=j5-yKhDd64s **and play it in a separate window while reading this. You ready? Let's go!) **

_I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid)_

Yeah

_To take a stand (to take a stand)_

It's been a ride.

"_Ahh, good choice. I must admit.",_ said Shaun.

"_Alright, here we go, Desmond. Initializing program now." _

_Everybody (everybody)_

I guess I had to

_Come take my hand (come take my hand)_

Go to that place, to get to this one.

_We'll walk this road together. Through the storm_

Now some of you, might still be in that place.

_Whatever weather, cold or warm_

If your trying to get out

_Just let you know that, you're not alone _

just follow me.

_Holla if you feel like_

I'll get you there.

_You've been down the same road. _

There was a white flash and suddenly a different scene emerged. It was of Jack jumping rope in the gym under Red's watch. Jack was visibly strained, and very sweaty, but fighting through it

_You can try to read my lyrics ofa this paper before I lay em _

_But you won't take the sting out these words before I say em _

Another flash and Jack was in the dojo. Throwing lefts, rights, and kicks at dummies until they fell. The punches were well placed and Jack's stance was near perfect.

_Cause ain't no way imma let you stop me from causin mayem_

_When I say imma do something I'll do it _

_I don't_ _give a damn what you think_

Then Jack was finishing a book on swordplay, having already read a dozen books which were stacked next to him. No sooner had he finished that he quickly started reading the next book.

_I'm doin this for me_

_So f*** the world, feed it beans_

_It's gassed up. If it thinks it's stoppin me._

Suddenly, Jack was sparring swords with Red. They went back and forth, back and forth, until Red twirled Jack's blade until it flew out of his hand. He shook his head at him and Jack grimaced. He _would_ get better.

_Imma be what I set out to be_

_Without a doubt, undoubtedly_

_And all those who look down on me, _

_I'm tearing down ya balcony _

_No 'ifs, ands, or buts' _

_Or tryina ask him 'why' or 'how can he"_

Jack was then back on the track, jumping over several obstacles. He was doing well until he didn't jump high enough for one obstacle and fell to the ground hard. He hit the ground in frustration, but then just got back up again.

_From 'Infinite' down to the last 'Relapse album_

_He's still shit and _

_Whether he's on salary, paid hourly _

Then he was back in the dojo. This time, he was sparring with another assassin. He fought well at first, landing two well-placed punches to his chest and a kick to his knee, but then was punched in the nose and pinned down by his opponent.They got up, and started over at Jack's behest. He didn't care that his nose was bleeding, he would keep going.

_Until he battles out_

_Or he shits his bowels outta him _

_Whichever comes first_

_For better or worse _

Desmond then found himself with Jack and Red at the shooting gallery. Jack naturally excelled at this aspect of his training. He had already been training for three years prior with his father's .45 after all. And his Dead Eye didn't slow him down either, as he used this talent to shoot every one of the seven paper targets with a perfect bulls-eye for every one.

_He's married to the game_

_Like a f*** you for Christmas_

_His gift is a curse _

After that they were back on the Melee Floor where Jack was doing surprisingly well against Red. All the same, however, Red won again, to Jacks supreme disappointment.

_Forget the earth_

_He's got the urge _

_To pull his d*** from the dirt_

_And f*** the whole universe _

Then they saw Jack in front of the Parkour Obstacle Course. He was ready for it. He started with a run up to the three-level ruined walls, jumping on each one with relative ease. But then he jumped to reach the banner pole at the top, but missed and fell. Red helped him up and they tried it again. Missing again each time, but not giving up.

_I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid)_

_To take a stand (to take a stand)_

_Everybody (everybody)_

_Come take my hand (come take my hand _)

_We'll walk this road together_

_Through the storm _

_Whatever weather, cold or warm_

_Just let you know that, your not alone_

_Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road _

Going back to the Melee Floor, Jack was practicing with a book in one hand and sword in the other by himself. Mimicking each technique until he got it perfect. He would beat Red eventually. After months of nonstop, grueling training, he wasn't as timid as he used to be.

_Ok, quit playin with the scissors and shit_

_And cut the crap_

_I shouldn't have to rhyme these words into rhythm _

_For you to know it's a rap _

Then Jack was back at the dojo. This time sparring with Red himself. Red threw a few punches, but was blocked by Jack, who proceeded to throw a big uppercut to Red, followed by a palm to the face. Jack then fell to his back and twisted both his legs against his knee, slamming Red to the ground. From there, Jack easily pinned Red by holding his legs in place and holding him in a headlock. They then got up and Red patted him on the back. His student was very much on his way.

_You said you was king_

_You lied through your teeth_

_For that f*** your feelings_

_Instead of gettin crowned your gettin capped _

Another flash took Desmond to another of Jack's attempts at the obstacle course_. _This time, with dummy guards. Running, he flew up the walls, swung from the banner pole, and landed on the adjacent roof. From there, he took his newly appointed hidden blade, retracted it, and jumped on the dummy, slamming the blade into it's chest.

_And to the fans_

_I'll never let you down again, I'm back_

_I promise to never go back on that promise _

_In fact, let's be honest_

_That last 'Relapse' CD was ehh _

_Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground _

Then he ran up the adjacent wall and caught one of many loose bricks. He climbed the bricks and hung from the ledge where another dummy was. He grabbed the dummy's leg and threw it over the ledge before getting up and climbing the wall behind that ledge. Unfortunately Jack grabbed a brick that was too lose and fell back to the first roof. His face was flaming with fury from the pain and from the failure, but he'd keep going.

_Relax, I ain't goin back to that now_

_All I'm tryna say is get back_

_Click, clack_

_POW _

_Cause I ain't playin around _

Jack was then back at the dojo with more dummies, incorporating firearms into his newly acquired martial arts abilities. For safety, he used rubber bullets.

_There's a game called Circle_

_And I dunno how_

_I'm way to up to back down_

The dummies formed a circle around Jack, who started out by running up to the one nearest him and jump-kicking it in the face. He then jumped on the one next to him, stabbing it, and then pulling out his pistol and shooting three of the dummies in the face. Getting up with a backflip, he took out the remaining dummies in midair and landed squarely on his feet. Jack looked over at Red, who was nodding with approval and then smiled. He was nearly ready.

Then Jack was trying to finish the Obstacle Course again, to no avail. And to Jacks anger.

_But I think I'm still tryna figure this crap out _

_Thought I had it mapped out_

_But I guess I didn't_

_This f***in black cloud still follows_

_Me around_

_But it's time to exorcize these demons_

_These muthaf*** are doin jumpin jacks now_

But no. He had been at this for nearly a year now. Today he was going to complete this damn course if it killed him. Getting right back up from his fall, he went to the start, and began again. Through careful concentration, he maneuvered every wall, every poll, every crack to climb, and every dummy, until he was in the final stretch. A tall flagpole next to the building which led up to some windows to climb, and above that, the top of the building to finish off with the Leap of Faith.

_I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid)_

_To take a stand (to take a stand)_

_Everybody (everybody)_

_Come take my hand (come take my hand _)

_We'll walk this road together_

_Through the storm _

_Whatever weather, cold or warm_

_Just let you know that, your not alone_

_Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road _

Jack took a deep breath and grabbed the flagpole, clinging onto it for dear life. He climbed slowly and carefully, so as not to fall. Despite this he slipped and fell down the pole a few feet. He tightened his grip and halted again, worried that failure was imminent. But he then banished that unthinkable idea of failure from his mind and started climbing again. This _was _his day.

_And just can't keep living this way_

_So starting today _

_I'm breaking out of this_ _cage_

_I'm standing up, Imma face my demons_

_I'm manning up, Imma hold my ground_

Finally he reached the top and jumped to the windows. He climbed up them with ease due to such strong determination and almost a year of acquired strength in his muscles, and finally reached the top of the building. He could see Red from the Firing Range, who was visibly proud of him. Jack smiled, but then looked down all the way down. Down to the bale of hay that would save him from death (_How is that even possible?, _Jack thought). He was scared, but he was ready.

_I've had enough_

_Now I'm so fed up_

_Tryna put my life back together right now _

Jack took a deep breath, closed his eyes, leapt...

_It was my decision to get clean_

_I did it for me_

...fell_..._

_Admittedly_

_I probably did it subliminally._

...felt the wind on his back, at peace. Almost as if channeling and in a way, inheriting the wisdom and greatness of his ancestors...

_For you_

...Altair...

_So I could come back a brand new me, you help see me through_

...Ezio Auditore Da Firenze...

_And don't even realize what you did_

_..._and, of course, John Marston.

_Believe me, you_

Once Jack had landed in the hay, he knew that he had made the right choice getting on that train with Red. All the pain of training and all the hard work had paid off. This was his life. This is what he was meant to do. Though not in name, yet, at heart he had just officially become, like his proud ancestors before him, an Assassin.

_I've been through the ringer_

_But they can do little to the middle finger_

_I think I got a tear in my eye _

_I feel like the kinga _

_My world _

Once last trip to the dojo showed Jack with all his gear, a dozen dummies scattered about. The first dummy was thrown his direction by Red, but was stopped by Jack's hidden blade right in it's head. Jack threw it aside and pulled out two .45s , using Dead Eye to take out all the dummies across the room as Jack cartwheeled around the room to do so.

_Haters can make like bees _

_With no stingers and drop dead_

_No more beef flingers_

_No more drama from now on_

_I promise to focus solely on handling my responsibilities as a father_

_So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof like my daughters and raise it _

_You couldn't lift a single shingle on it_

Jack then ran up to Red, hit him twice in the chest, and threw an uppercut his way. But the last blow was missed because Red had back flipped and pulled out his sword, Jack doing the same in return. He aimed for his ear, but Red had blocked him. Red then swung his blade at Jack's ribs but Jack simply cartwheeled to the right and pulled out his gun, shooting it and purposefully grazing Red's wrist. Red dropped his sword and held his slightly wounded wrist and let out a groan. But then he smiled at Jack, who smiled back and put his gun away. After a year of training, Jack had learned everything Red could teach him. He was ready.

_Cause the way I feel_

_I'm strong enough to go to the club _

_Or the corner pub_

_And lift the whole liquor counter up _

_Cause I'm raisin the bar_

_I shoot for the moon_

_But I'm too busy gazing at stars_

_I feel amazing and _

_I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid)_

_To take a stand (to take a stand)_

"Pistol Proficiency: Learned", a caption read.

_Everybody (everybody)_

"Rifle Proficiency: Learned"

_Come take my hand (come take my hand _)

_We'll walk this road together_

"Dead Eye Vision: Learned"

_Through the storm _

_Whatever weather, cold or warm_

"Memory Sequence 4: Complete"

_Just let you know that, your not alone_

_Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road _


	9. Old Memories and New Problems

Chapter 9: Old Memories and New Problems

After the memory had finished, Desmond was pulled out of the Animus. It was, of course, dangerous to leave him in their for too long. He already was having hallucinations regularly, and they couldn't risk having his condition worsen. Besides, the wanted to see how well he retained Jack's memories. They had arrived at the cabin at this point. Rebecca and Shaun were already in the process of setting up the Animus in there. Meanwhile, Lucy and Desmond walked around to the shooting range in the backyard. It consisted of a few paper targets attached to bales of hay and a few paintings of Crusade-era Templars painted to some trees.

"Alright, Desmond.", said Lucy, "Here's where the real combat begins. As I said before, swords and crossbows aren't going to cut it up against Abstergo. The next time we see them, they'll have guns. And you'll need to be ready when we do. So let's see how well Jack's training helped you."

Lucy then reached into her leather jacket and pulled out a semi-automatic, 9mm pistol and handed it to Desmond.

"Not quite as much stopping power as a .45, but it'll work for now.", she said, "Now, walk over here, and let's see how your aim is."

The two walked over to the table in front of the range and put on some safety glasses. Desmond then took the gun in his hand and aimed down the sights. With Jack's retained skills now in his own head, he took a deep breath, adjusted the gun, and fired down the range, hitting the hay target nearly square in the center.

"Not bad,", said Lucy, " but don't tense up so much, it'll help keep the recoil minimal."

Desmond reloaded and aimed down the sight again, this time more relaxed adjusted. He took another breath and concentrate, like before, only this time, something was different. Without really trying, he had blocked out anything around him but the targets. It was the same way he felt when he was in Eagle Vision, only his sight was much more keen. It was surreal, for when he looked around, everything seemed to have an orange tint and the world seemed to have slowed down. He had inadvertently entered Dead Eye Vision.

Having done this, he proceeded to look at all the targets, mentally mark where he would shoot, instinctively switched to full automatic, and shot every one of the targets with a perfect bulls-eye, one bullet each, all in under a second. Once his clip was empty, his vision was normal again, and Lucy was in shock with amazement.

"Desmond, that was incredible!", Lucy said running down to check the targets, "Perfect bulls-eyes all around. And on automatic! How on earth did you do that?"

"It must've been Jack's Dead Eye.", said Desmond, "Like back at his duel with Ross. Remember how it went all slow? It was the same thing for me. Just like with Eagle Vision, all I had to do was concentrate."

"Well, I'm impressed. One Animus session seems all you need nowadays, huh?", said Lucy with a smile, "First with Ezio, now with Jack. I never would've thought you'd be so receptive at this point. I mean I knew that—". But suddenly, Lucy was interrupted, for from behind her jumped a Florentine guard brandishing a rapier came at him, as white and as clear as a ghost. In a fright, Desmond jumped to the right and retracted his hidden blade, ducked in a fighting pose.

"Desmond, what's wrong?", asked Lucy, coming to his aid and looking into the woods, "Did you see someone? A sniper, what?" Desmond put his blade back and then stood up, relieved.

" Spiacente, Lucy. Appena un'altra allucinazione.", he said wiping his brow.

"What?", asked Lucy, startled.

"I said it was just another hallucination. What?", asked Desmond, confused.

"You just spoke to me in Itallian."

Desmond groaned."Oh God, are you serious?", he said.

"Did you take your pills today?", asked Lucy, frantically pulling an orange bottle out of her jacket.

"No, not yet.", he admitted, taking a few that were offered to him and swallowing them.

"Have you been doing your exercises before bed like I told you?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, Lucy. The biofeedback you've been building up in me has been working. I haven't passed out again, right? Except for the occasional ghost, the memories are only coming in my dreams now."

"Well, I just hope it stays that way. After all the shit we're putting you through, and after you just keep going with it I– just– I just couldn't– ", Lucy said, but then started to cry a little. Then she embraced him and started crying into his shoulder

"Hey, hey, relax, Luce.", said Desmond, hugging her, "You don't see me making any vague, cryptic puzzles yet, do you?". He smiled at her, and then she smiled back, wiping her tears away. They hugged one more time, and then headed back to the cabin to rest up. It was a nice cabin with two bedrooms with bunk beds and a small kitchen with plenty of food. After they were rested and fed, Desmond and company went to bed. It was a full day of work, for all.

Within a few minutes, Desmond was asleep, but once he had done so, he found himself in yet another memory. This time around he found himself on a wooden platform, a noose around his neck, his hands bound. In front of him was at least two dozen people gathered around, jeering him and the three other men on the platform with him.

"_Ahh, great_.", Desmond said, or rather thought, his voice echoing over the scene, "_Where am I this time, the Spanish Inquisition?"_ But this idea was quickly dismissed as he looked closer and saw the people were dressed in relatively modern clothes and the town he was in was like that out of a western. As he began to realize this, he noticed he was not in a man's body at all, but that of an eight year old boy, whose face was bloody and cut, probably by a bottle. Just then, the town official, who was dressed in a black suit and top hat, began to read the paper he was holding.

"Steven Scholl, Anthony Williams," he read in a loud, authoritative voice, "Doug Dell, and John Marston," Desmond got it. He had to have been in John Marston's memory as a child. Once he got this, he began to wonder how John got out of this, as he obviously was not hanged as a child. The official continued to speak, regardless,

"You four have been convicted by twelve good persons and true to the crimes of: Horse Theft, Grand Larceny, Arson, and Second Degree Murder. Because of this I, Mayor Stephen Gardens, sentence you four to, on this day, June 4, 1865, hang by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your souls." , the Mayor then rolled up the paper and was about to give the order to execute when a young, brash voice spoke up from the crowd.

"I don't know about the Almighty, but I'd sure as hell take mercy on that poor boy, you merciless hog thumper!", the boy yelled over the jeering.

"WHO SAID THAT?", yelled the Mayor with a sneer.

"I did!", said a boy walking out of the now-silenced crowd. He looked about fifteen years old, had black, slicked back hair, and an orange shirt.

"Oh," said the Mayor, "And just who are you, you little tramp?"

"Name's Dutch Vanderlin. Who the hell are you?"

"Whu– I am Mayor Gardens and you would do well to respect me, young man. Else you'll end up just like this little sack of–"

"HA!", Dutch interrupted, "Respect you? Why should I? You the one with the blood all over your shirt."

"What? That's nonsense! Where on earth do you see blood on my–", the man was cut short, for Dutch had quickly whipped out a revolver from his belt and shot him square in the heart.

"Right...there.", he said with a smirk. He then proceeded to shoot and kill the three lawmen standing guard near the platform and then shoot the rope around John's neck, freeing him. Dutch then jumped on the platform and grabbed young John, throwing him over his shoulder and putting his gun away. Then he turned to the adjacent saloon, ran twords, it, ran up some stair-arranged crates in front of it, and jumped to grab a window with his free hand. He then jumped to grab another window above it and caught it, then again to grab the ledge of the roof and caught it. Once he had gotten to the roof, he ran to the next-door rooftop and jumped to it, and then the next one, and the next one.

Dutch quickly pulled out some smoke bombs from his pocket and tossed a few into the street and one on the rooftop. In the confusion, Dutch was easily able to take the boy on his shoulders to safety by jumping off a rooftop at the end of the street and landing safely in a large carriage full of cotton. Waiting for them was a horse-drawn covered wagon. They hopped in and sat down.

"Uncle!", Dutch yelled at the driver as he started untying John's hands, "I got him, let's go!" With that, the wagon sped away at a seemingly breakneck speed. Once John's hands were free, he looked around and saw two more kids in the wagon. One a little girl about his age, and another younger, Mexican-looking boy next to her. John also saw the driver, who was short and portly, with black hair, a tooth sticking out from his mouth and a big, round beard, wearing a white cloak.

"Good work, boy.", yelled the driver over the sound of beating hooves, "One last stop and we can get home and have that drink!"

"Bully, that's great!", replied Dutch, "That last one really took a lot outta me." He then looked over at little John, who was visibly confused.

"Mr. Dutch," he asked, "Where are we goin'?"

"Well, John, we're goin to train ya.", Dutch said.

"Train me? For what?"

"Your Willy Marston's boy, right?"

"Yeah.", nodded John.

"Well then, son, that mean's you've just been drafted in to a war!", yelled Uncle.

With that the memory faded into blackness, which then turned to light as Desmond awoke to the sun shining out his window. He got up, put his pants back on, and walked out to the kitchen area, where, surprisingly, the team was already packing everything up.

"Oh, morning Desmond.", said Lucy, putting some food in a box.

"Uh, morning.", he said, "Why are you already packing up? We just got here."

"We just picked up some Abstergo radio chatter.", explained Shaun, who was carrying a box outside. Desmond followed him and Shaun continued,

"They've found out about the cabin. They're coming for us.

"Just as well, I guess. We had to leave anyway."

"Why?", asked Desmond.

"I'll explain when we leave.", said Lucy, putting her box in the truck.

The group rushed to get everything in the truck and in no time at all, they were back on the road. Lucy was driving and the rest were in their spots in the back.

"We received a call from HQ about the situation in Austin.", Lucy started over the radio. "Abstergo and half the Order in Texas are in all-out war at the site. Authorities are hopeless to stop it because of Abstergo's "Private Police Policy", meaning since Abstergo polices itself, the regular police can't do anything when their "entrepeneuric endeavors lead it's employees to dangerous situations". Basically, Abstergo can pull rank on the police whenever they want, thanks to all the Templars they've got in Congress. But that's not the problem here.

"What is the problem is that the Assassins in Texas are some of the best we've got. Because of this, they're putting up a good fight and have suffered very little casualties. But they're low on supplies now, and soon they're gonna be completely dry, making them sitting ducks."

"Are the Texas Assassins really as important as all that?", asked Desmond.

"Hell yeah!", said Rebecca, "If it weren't for some of those guys, we'd all be dead years ago. In fact, half the Dallas Cowboys are Assassins."

"Woah.", said Desmond, impressed.

"Exactly.", started Lucy again, "And that's why we've got to help them out. Those guys are our ace in the hole if something goes wrong anywhere, and we can't afford to lose them. So the guys at HQ want us to go and help them."

"What's the plan?", asked Desmond.

"We get to the site, get the Piece of Eden, destroy it, and get the hell out of there. Destroying a Piece of Eden is very difficult and always results in a huge explosion, akin to a small nuclear bomb. Don't worry, though, the mine where they're situated is 20 miles away from the actual city. There won't be a big enough blast to result in any civilian casualties. If we can get out fast enough, the Templars we'll be dead and the rest of us will be safe."

"Cool. How do we get there?"

"I know a guy in Detroit who owes me a few solids. And he has a plane. He can fly us to Austin, and then out of the country afterwards. After setting off a nuclear explosion on US soil, we won't be welcome here any time soon. Besides we'll need to get back to finding Ezio's Apple"

"But wait a minute,", said Desmond, "You said the Piece of Eden was booby trapped. How will we even get to it?"

"Jack's memories.", she explained, "From what I could gather from the guys, Jack Marston also found an Apple of Eden and hid it. Since he was from the area, and since according to Altair's map, there are only three Pieces of Eden in the US, we can safely assume it's there."

"OK, let's do it.", he said.

Desmond was then hooked into the Animus and was put back into the mainframe.

"_Ok, I think I've found the memory_.", said Rebecca, _"Here, let's try it."_

Desmond then entered Jack's body, but the world was not completely formed. There were red blurs everywhere and white lines. Over the shrieks and beeps of the Animus trying to load, he head voices;

"_What are you talking about, WHERE ARE THEY?",_ one voice echoed.

"_It was that damn boy, he got them all. They're all dead.", _another one shrieked.

"_Impossible. What about MacFarland?"_

"_He's missing. They probably got him too–"_

Desmond heard an explosion, screaming, the man again screaming,

"_FIND HIM, DAMMIT! FIND BOTH OF THEM!"_

Then it was quiet, and he heard Red's voice in a whisper,

"_Hear that, Jack? The wolves are out hunting! Get in that tree!"_

Desmond was then abruptly pulled out, much to his relief. He panted for a few seconds and then asked, "What happened?"

"It's just like with Altair.", said Lucy, "We're going to have to ease you in first."

"Figures.", said Shaun, "It's never a simple, 'Upload this and we're here', is it? Always a bloody trial."

"Looks like the closest memory we can get is back at the Palace HQ in Frisco." , Rebecca said, looking at her screen.

"Upload it then," said Lucy, "We can't waste any time."

"Will do!", said Rebecca.

And with that, Desmond was put back in to begin yet another 'treasure hunt'.


End file.
